The Second Slimmer School. 227 the public spirit which continues the work annually and promises improvements in the future cannot be too highly commended. Those libraries which cannot afford to purchase the volumes of Poole's Index require this, and those already possessing Poole must have it to keep them up to date, and indeed it would be surprising to know that any library is yet without the volumes. The classified list of periodicals is alone worth the money. Great praise is due to Miss Hetherington, the compiler, and her assistants, not only for their industry, but for the exactness and care exercised in producing the index. It may be perhaps necessary to add that the indexing in this Annual Index is altogether apart from the lists which appear monthly in the Review of Reviews. Xegal IRotes anb CJueties. Question. Is it legal (in Scotland) to make any charge for readers' cards in a library under the Public Libraries Acts ; and, if illegal to charge rate- payers, can a charge be made to non-ratepayers ? Of course, I know that some libraries charge, while others do not ; and that while there seems little doubt that ratepayers may not be liable to be charged, it may be legal to impose a charge on non-ratepayers, as it seems an optional thing to admit non-ratepayers to the advantages of the lending library. Answer. The only power to charge for readers' cards is by virtue of a Bye-law duly made under the Public Libraries Consolidation (Scotland) Act, 1887, section 22. If you have no such Bye-law you have no power to make the charge ; and I may add that I have very grave doubts whether, if such a Bye-law was contested, it would be upheld, bearing in mind section 32 of the Act, which provides that the institutions are to be open to the " public " free of charge, though it might be contended that, as the section goes on to provide that no charge is to be made for the use of "books or magazines" issued for home reading, this would not prevent (but rather authorises by implication) a charge for the issue of a reader's card. Your Bye-law might make a distinction between ratepayers and non-ratepayers resident in the borough ; but, in my opinion, they are both included in the term " public " used in section 32. ZTbe Seconb Summer Scbool, 1894. THE Second Summer School was opened on the evening of Tuesday, June igth, and was continued until Friday afternoon, during which time the following programme was carried out : TUESDAY, JUNE iQth, at 7.30 p.m. Reception by the Council of the Association ; and Exhibition of Library Appliances in the rooms of the Association, 20, Hanover Square. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2oth, at 10 a.m. The School will gather in the Entrance Hall of the British Museum. An address will be delivered by Dr. Garnett, and this will be fol- lowed by visits to the Departments of MSS. and of Printed Books. A visit will also be paid to the Book-binding Department.
